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Wolves' bench trio of Reid, DiVincenzo, NAW continues to provide huge spark

The best five-man lineup in the NBA by net rating is a Wolves group that does not include Anthony Edwards or Julius Randle.

Will Ragatz

Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) in the second quarter at Target Center.
Dec 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) in the second quarter at Target Center. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
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The Timberwolves did a lot of good things in their 109-80 victory over the Lakers on Monday night. They seem to have re-discovered their defensive identity over the last two games; they locked down the Lakers after previously holding the Clippers to 93 points on Friday. Rudy Gobert was excellent, outplaying Anthony Davis with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Julius Randle and Mike Conley were also productive on a very quiet night for Anthony Edwards, whose 8 points marked the first time he's been held below 20 all season.

But above all, this was the latest example of the Wolves' bench trio — Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — being massive difference-makers for the team's success on both ends of the floor.

Reid had 15 points and was a team-best +22. DiVincenzo had one of his best games of the season with 11 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, going +21. Alexander-Walker had 15 points and 4 assists. Those three combined to make 16 of 30 shots from the floor (53 percent) and 7 of 17 attempts from deep (41 percent).

This season, the five-man lineup with the best net rating in the entire NBA, with a minimum of 50 minutes played, is Conley, Alexander-Walker, DiVincenzo, Reid, and Gobert at +34.1. Across 72 minutes together, they've got an offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) of 125.5 and a defensive rating of 91.4. The Wolves have won those minutes by 48 points. Against the Lakers, that quintet went +14 in ten minutes on the floor.

The best four-man lineup in the league (min. 130 minutes) has been the bench trio and Gobert, as noted by Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press. Ninth-best has been the bench trio and Edwards. Conley and those three would be third if the minutes were there.

Alexander-Walker isn't the Wolves' best player, but he's a defensive menace who is shooting 45 percent from three and leads the team in net rating this season at 9.3. Conley and Gobert are second and third among Minnesota's rotation players in net rating, followed by Reid, DiVincenzo, and Edwards. Randle is second-to-last at 0.3 and Jaden McDaniels is in the negatives at -2.4.

Those numbers all paint an interesting picture. Edwards has been great this season, but the Wolves' starting lineup (which has a 5.7 net rating in 222 minutes) has two offensive ball-stoppers in him and Randle. The spacing is also a bit awkward with Randle and Gobert alongside each other in the frontcourt and McDaniels struggling so mightily from deep (29.5 percent).

When the bench trio is in the game with Gobert and either Conley or Edwards, the spacing just makes a lot more sense and the ball tends to move more freely. It's a testament to how good the second unit has been that their net ratings are so strong even with DiVincenzo shooting well below his career mark from three. He was at roughly 31 percent from deep on the season before going 6 for 11 over the last two games. If DiVincenzo's shooting stays hot, those bench lineups will become that much more dangerous. His ability to push the pace in transition and make plays for others was on full display against the Lakers.

It is worth noting, in fairness, that the bench group gets the benefit of playing against other bench units, which undoubtedly helps their numbers. Still, from a pure basketball perspective, there's been so much to like about the way Naz, Donte, and NAW have played this season.

Randle and McDaniels are the Wolves' highest-paid players behind Gobert and Edwards. They're going to be critical this season and are unlikely to be moved out of the starting lineup anytime soon. But 20 games into the campaign, they haven't impacted winning the same way other players in the rotation have. If these trends continue, it'll be interesting to see if Chris Finch makes any adjustments to his rotation to prioritize the lineups that have been working so well thus far.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

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